Danbury rallies, but comes up short

Written by

KEVIN SHIELDS
Sports writer

LAKESIDE -- Lucas Kennedy fought back from an 0-2 count to bring home two runs with a double off the left field fence in the fourth inning Thursday.

But despite getting Danbury within a run, it wouldn't be enough as the Lakers fell 9-7 to Gibsonburg in a non-conference baseball matchup.

Kennedy had two hits as the Lakers (0-2) out-hit the Golden Bears (2-0) 12-6. But six errors led to four Gibsonburg runs.

"We can't be giving teams more than three outs in an inning," said Danbury coach Mike Valenti. "You start giving them four, five or six outs and teams are going to make you pay.

"We're a young team though, and we're going to learn. There's a lot of little things that we need to do. But we're getting better, and we'll improve in time."

Kennedy's double got Danbury within 5-4 entering the fifth inning. The Golden Bears had tallied five runs in their half of the fourth, before the Lakes responded with four.

Caleb Helline and David Gast singled to lead off the inning. Zach Kalinoski's two-RBI single to left center scored them both.

Helline finished 3-for-4 at the plate and scored two runs.

"We're happy with the way Caleb is swinging," Valenti said. "He's done a nice job of putting the bat on the ball for us this year."

John Bunce tied Helline for a game-high for hits, going 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

After pitching two and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief, Gibsonburg's Nick Sneider looked to be in a good spot entering the bottom half of the final inning. The Golden Bears had a 9-4 lead, plating three runs in the sixth and one in the seventh. And following a leadoff base hit by the Lakers' Dalton Chapman, Sneider got Brandon Burke to go down swinging for the first out.

His outing was far from done.

Cory Schenk got a Danbury rally going with a single to center field putting Chapman at third base. Chapman was then brought in on an RBI-single from Helline. A batter later, a walk to Gast brought the tying run to the plate, that being the Lakers' Kalinoski.

Sneider retired Kalinoski on strikes after a wild pitch scored Schenk. He would surrender another RBI-single to Bunce, before finishing the game with a strikeout.

"We've lost a couple tough ones to start out," Valenti said. "But these are great kids and they'll bounce back."

Chapman took the loss the on the hill despite pitching effectively for four innings.

"He did everything we asked of him," Valenti said. "We ask our pitchers to go out and throw strikes and he did that."

Chapman allowed five unearned runs on two hits. He struck out one batter and walked two others.

Brett Diekman earned the win for Gibsonburg. The senior, gave up four runs (two earned) on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings of work. He finished with three strikeouts.